Former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm, a Democrat who later sought the Reform Party’s endorsement of the presidency, dies at 85

Lahm got his start in elected office when he won the 1964 state assembly race, where he suggested what he would do It became the nation’s first law Promote reproductive rights. In 1972, Lam was also Pioneering movement for rejecting the 1976 Winter Olympics awarded to Denver; While he admitted that he originally supported hosting the Games, he argued that it would be an environmental and financial mess that the state could not afford. electors He overwhelmingly rejected the referendum that year It would have made more government money available for the event, resulting in Denver becoming the first city to actually refuse to host the Olympics after it had already won them.

Lahm sought a promotion in 1974 when he decided to stand up to Republican Governor John Vanderhoef, who had risen from deputy governor to previous governor general. Lam, who drew attention Walks across the stateAnd Decisively won the nomination And so on Vanderhof dislocation 53-46 In that year the democratic wave. lam party It was locked to the legislature in 1976 Lam will spend the rest of his term fighting the Republican majority, but he He had no problem winning re-election himself.

However, Lam’s job performance was poor after he left the position of governor. after, after Democrats’ requests rejected To run for the Senate in 1990, Lam decided to enter the open seat race in 1992. The former governor ended Lost the primaries to Conservative MP Ben Nathorse Campbell 45-36, though, in what turned out to be Lam’s last statewide race.

Campbell defected to the Republican Party in 1995, and Lahm changed his party the following year. announced lam, “Democrats are very close to trial attorneys and the National Education Association. Republicans are very close to the Radical Right,” and soon announced that he would seek the Reform Party’s nomination for president. But he was soon overshadowed by Ross Perot’s nomination, who received nearly 20% of the vote in 1992 as an independent. Beirut Decisively won the party voteLam never looked for the office again. The wife of the ex-governor, Dottie Lam, It was on the ballot in 1998, although the Democrats Unsuccessful candidate against Campbell.